Probate / Administration of Estate – Costs & Service Information

The final cost will depend on the specific circumstances of the estate. For example:

Estates with multiple beneficiaries, a property, and several bank accounts will be towards the higher end.

An estate with one beneficiary and no property will fall at the lower end of the range.

We anticipate the work will take 10-15 hours and cost £180 (£150 + £30 VAT) – £480 (£400 + £80 VAT) per hour, giving a total estimated cost of between £1,800 (£1,500 + £300 VAT) and £7,200 (£6,000 + £1,200 VAT).

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid Will or if there is not a valid Will and the following points apply
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than four bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are one to four beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• There are no claims made against the estate
• There are no foreign assets

Disbursements (not included in our fees)

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

• Probate application fee of £300.00 (no VAT payable)
• Office of the Public Guardian Registration Fee of £92 per Lasting Power of Attorney (no VAT payable)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches at a cost of £7.20 (£6 + £1.20 VAT) per beneficiary
• Post in The London Gazette or local newspapers (protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors) at a cost of between £30 (£25 + £5 VAT) and £474 (£395 + £79 VAT)
• ID verification at a cost of £36 (£30 + £6 VAT) per executor

Potential additional costs

If there is no Will or the estate includes shareholdings, additional work may be required. Costs vary depending on complexity; we can provide a more accurate estimate once details are available.

If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £16 (1 per asset usually) no VAT payable.

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-18 months.  Due to delays with the Probate Registry, obtaining the grant of probate can take anywhere between 1-6 months from submission of the application. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 8-16 weeks, or longer if there is a need to sell property or business assets. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 4-6 weeks.